Ex- NFF President, Dominic Oneya, Passes on at 73

By Sylvester Idowu

A former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Brigadier-General Dominic Obukadata Oneya is dead. He was aged 73 years old.

Oneya was scheduled to be the Match Commissioner for the men’s AITEO Cup final between Bayelsa United and Nasarawa United at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City on Sunday.

Family sources confirmed that Oneya died yesterday morning at his Effurun GRA residence in the Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State.

The deceased hailed from Agbarho Kingdom of Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta.

He was a former Military Administrator of Kano State from August 1996 to August 1998 during the military regime of General Sani Abacha.

He was also a military Administrator of Benue State from August 1998 to May 1999 during the transitional regime of General Abdulsalami Abubakar.

In his reaction to the news of his passage, General Secretary of the NFF, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said he was devastated beyond words because he spoke to the revered former military chieftain on Wednesday – a matter of hours earlier.

“We spoke on Wednesday because I conveyed to him information

that the NFF had appointed him as match commissioner for the men’s

AITEO Cup final coming up on Sunday in Benin City.

“He told me he would prefer to drive down to Benin from Warri on Sunday morning. He sounded healthy and full of life. May his soul rest in peace,” observed the NFF scribe.